Bass Pro Shops Night Race: Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol, Tenn.  – September 21, 2024

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 MENARDS/MONSTER ENERGY FORD MUSTANG
START: 27TH  STAGE ONE: 21ST   STAGE TWO: 16TH FINISH: 13TH  POINTS: 9TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric executed a solid performance in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, finishing 13th in the No. 2 Menards/Monster Energy Ford Mustang to clinch a spot in the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Despite an unfavorable starting spot at the half-mile, concrete oval where track position is key, Cindric maintained great momentum through the opening segment, finishing Stage 1 in the 21st position on the lead lap. He informed his team that he started to lose rear grip as the first stint winded down, and headed to pit road for service. The 26-year-old driver restarted 17th and reported early on that the car was freer in that run. On Lap 242, a caution slowed the field just shy of the conclusion of the second break, and Cindric reported a right-front chatter and said the car was too free to fire off. He was scored 16th when Stage 2 officially ended and received four fresh tires, fuel and adjustments in preparation for the final dash to the checkers in the Round of 16 finale. As the third stint played out, Cindric gained ground, climbing to the 13th position by the time the 500-lap race reached its end. The performance advanced him to the next round of the postseason, where Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano will also be represented as the elite drivers vie for the coveted Cup Series championship.   

CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “It was a solid night from starting as far back as we did and staying on the lead lap for as long as we did. Our car was really strong. Thank you to Menards and everyone at Team Penske. I’m proud of the effort to bring really solid race cars the first three races and how we were able to do the right things with them. We had three solid finishes, the worst finish being 13th – that’s what we needed in this round, racing within our limits, and no reason why we can’t do the same thing in the next. I think that’s what it’s going to take to move on to the Round of 8.”

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 WURTH FORD MUSTANG
START: 22ND    STAGE ONE: 11TH     STAGE TWO: 9TH  FINISH: 6TH    POINTS: 5TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney turned in a sixth-place finish Saturday night at Bristol to advance to the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The No. 12 Wurth Ford Mustang started from 22nd and worked methodically through the field during the opening run of the night to come away with an 11th-place finish in Stage 1. Following a four tire stop and a round of adjustments under caution, Blaney continued to work between the top and bottom lanes and made his way up to eighth in the running order early on Stage 2. Blaney was scored sixth when the caution flag flew with eight to go in the segment, prompting a trip to pit road for fresh tires before eventually racing to a ninth-place result in the stage. After taking the green flag on the restart from eighth, Blaney saw the balance start to even out over the long run as he battled his way into the top-five. Blaney settled into sixth in the running order as the longest green flag run of the night ensued while managing his tires to make it to the end. Ultimately, the Wurth Ford took the checkered flag sixth as the 12-team heads into the opening race of the next round 11 points above the cut line. The top-10 finish marks Blaney’s 13th of the 2024 season as he takes his title defense into the Round of 12. 

BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “It was a good night overall. We came from not qualifying great and got up to the top 10 that second stage. I thought we had a really good long run car and the long run at the end was so many laps that we were guarding against blowing a tire, so I just kind of rode around the last 100 laps or so for that run and wound up with a decent finish. It was a good effort from not qualifying well. The speed in our car was pretty decent. It’s something to learn from and nice to go to the next round.”

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG
START: 20TH     STAGE ONE: 14TH    STAGE TWO: 33RD  FINISH: 28TH   POINTS: 8TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil team saw their night at Bristol derailed in the closing laps of Stage 2 as Logano was involved in an incident that resulted in a 28th-place finish to cap off the Round of 16. Despite the result, Logano heads into the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs eighth in the standings, four points above the cut line. After starting 20th Saturday night, Logano quickly made his way into the top-15 despite a tight handling condition in the early going before coming away with a 14th-place finish in Stage 1. Following a four tire stop and a round of adjustments, Logano took the restart from 11th and worked his way into the top-10 during the opening laps of the second segment. On lap 242, the No. 7 made contact with Logano’s rear bumper on the exit of turn four and sent the Shell-Pennzoil Ford sliding down the frontstretch, causing damage to the right front. Logano brought his Ford Mustang to pit road for four tires and repairs under caution but went a lap down in the process. The No. 22 team continued to make adjustments to assist with Logano’s handling due to the damage sustained in the incident and was ultimately scored 28th when the checkered flag flew. 

LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “It’s just the same stuff. You’ve got to get some points to survive. Kansas will be important. You’ve still got Talladega in there, which is quite the wild card, and then the Roval. It’s a fairly similar round to what we just went through, so you’ve got to be able to score some points. We just have to go back to Kansas this weekend and run good. We need to go up there and run in the top five and score stage points and position ourselves solid into the next two races after that.”

The NASCAR Cup Series opens the Round of 12 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, September 29. Coverage of the Hollywood Casino 400 begins at 3:00 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.